Berrien County, Georgia

Berrien County
Berrien County
County
	Berrien County courthouse in Nashville
	Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
	Georgia's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 31°16′N 83°14′W / 31.27°N 83.23°W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	1856; 168 years ago
Named for	John M. Berrien
Seat	Nashville
Largest city	Nashville
Area
• Total	458 sq mi (1,190 km2)
• Land	452 sq mi (1,170 km2)
• Water	6.0 sq mi (16 km2) 1.3%
Population (2020)
• Total	18,160
• Density	40/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	www.berriencountygeorgia.com

Berrien County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,160.^[1] The county seat is Nashville.^[2] The county was created February 25, 1856, out of portions of Coffee, Irwin and Lowndes counties by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. It is named after Georgia senator John M. Berrien.^[3]

History

Establishment

The citizens of the area of Lowndes County and Irwin County that would become Berrien County had to travel long distances to get the county courthouse at Franklinville, Georgia and later Troupville, Georgia for those in Lowndes County, and Irwinville, Georgia for those in Irwin County. By at least June 1853, citizens had petitioned to form a new county.^[4] The 1853 attempt of a new county failed. By 1856, a renewed attempt at the creation of a new county was successful.

World War I

Berrien County lost a disproportionate number of men in World War I in part because companies at that time were organized by militia districts at home. Eight weeks before the Armistice, 25 Berrien County men were among the 200 recently enlisted soldiers who perished at sea off the coast of Scotland.^[5] Many of the bodies were returned to the soldiers' hometowns for burial, and the names of the dead were engraved on a memorial located on the courthouse grounds in Nashville. The memorial was the first in a series of pressed copper sculptures by artist E. M. Viquesney entitled The Spirit of the American Doughboy.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 458 square miles (1,190 km²), of which 452 square miles (1,170 km²) is land and 6.0 square miles (16 km²) (1.3%) is water.^[6]

The western portion of Berrien County, from just north of U.S. Route 82 and roughly west of U.S. Route 129 heading south, is located in the Withlacoochee River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. The eastern portion of the county is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the larger Suwannee River basin.^[7]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Irwin County - north
Coffee County - northeast
Atkinson County - east
Lanier County - southeast
Lowndes County - south
Cook County - west
Tift County - northwest

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	3,475		—
1870	4,518		30.0%
1880	6,619		46.5%
1890	10,694		61.6%
1900	19,440		81.8%
1910	22,722		16.9%
1920	15,573		−31.5%
1930	14,646		−6.0%
1940	15,370		4.9%
1950	13,966		−9.1%
1960	12,038		−13.8%
1970	11,556		−4.0%
1980	13,525		17.0%
1990	14,153		4.6%
2000	16,235		14.7%
2010	19,286		18.8%
2020	18,160		−5.8%
2023 (est.)	18,570	^[8]	2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census^[9] 1790-1880^[10]1890-1910^[11] 1920-1930^[12] 1930-1940^[13] 1940-1950^[14] 1960-1980^[15] 1980-2000^[16] 2010^[17]

Berrien County racial composition as of 2020^[18]
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	14,396	79.27%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,934	10.65%
Native American	22	0.12%
Asian	80	0.44%
Pacific Islander	10	0.06%
Other/Mixed	673	3.71%
Hispanic or Latino	1,045	5.75%

At the 2020 United States census, there were 18,160 people, 7,367 households, and 5,055 families residing in the county, down from 19,286 at the 2010 census. Previously, the county had a historic-high population of 22,722 in 1910, although in 1860, Berrien County's population was 3,475.

According to the American Community Survey in 2022, its median household income was $48,670 with a per capita income of $25,100.^[19] Approximately 51% of its population made less than $50,000 a year; 30% from $50,000-100,000; 17% from $100,000-200,000; and 2% more than $200,000 annually. Of the county, 23.2% lived at or below the poverty line, and an estimated 30% of children under 18 years of age were at or below the poverty line. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $108,300.

The Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020 denoted the largest religion in the area is Christianity.^[20] The largest Christian groups within the county are Baptists and non or interdenominational Protestants, followed by Methodists and Pentecostals. Within Berrien County, the largest single Christian denomination as of 2020 has been the Southern Baptist Convention.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Berrien County, Georgia^[21]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	6,841	84.79%	1,209	14.99%	18	0.22%
2020	6,419	82.89%	1,269	16.39%	56	0.72%
2016	5,422	81.99%	1,047	15.83%	144	2.18%
2012	4,843	77.81%	1,273	20.45%	108	1.74%
2008	4,901	75.95%	1,471	22.80%	81	1.26%
2004	3,917	69.87%	1,638	29.22%	51	0.91%
2000	2,718	61.63%	1,640	37.19%	52	1.18%
1996	1,950	42.87%	2,066	45.42%	533	11.72%
1992	1,637	36.03%	2,103	46.29%	803	17.68%
1988	2,030	59.36%	1,381	40.38%	9	0.26%
1984	2,395	58.92%	1,670	41.08%	0	0.00%
1980	1,487	33.76%	2,869	65.15%	48	1.09%
1976	555	14.05%	3,394	85.95%	0	0.00%
1972	2,285	86.03%	371	13.97%	0	0.00%
1968	566	14.79%	452	11.81%	2,810	73.41%
1964	4,073	60.51%	2,658	39.49%	0	0.00%
1960	368	11.66%	2,787	88.34%	0	0.00%
1956	165	6.44%	2,398	93.56%	0	0.00%
1952	364	14.27%	2,187	85.73%	0	0.00%
1948	107	5.03%	1,772	83.31%	248	11.66%
1944	217	12.78%	1,481	87.22%	0	0.00%
1940	23	1.95%	1,156	97.97%	1	0.08%
1936	53	3.02%	1,700	96.98%	0	0.00%
1932	19	1.28%	1,447	97.44%	19	1.28%
1928	105	12.50%	735	87.50%	0	0.00%
1924	13	3.01%	409	94.68%	10	2.31%
1920	58	8.52%	623	91.48%	0	0.00%
1916	49	2.24%	2,102	96.29%	32	1.47%
1912	70	8.60%	709	87.10%	35	4.30%